Nocturnal Rites - Nils Norberg
Of all the bands flowing forth from the Northland few have as
successfully captured the spirit and intensity of melodic Heavy Metal as
NOCTURNAL RIGHTS. Since their inception in 1990 the group has steadily
climbed the industry rungs until they have reached their present
position as one of the finest bands on the up and coming Century Media
Records roster. With label mates as diverse in influence and
presentation as SKINLAB, ICED EARTH and STUCK MOJO, NOCTURNAL RIGHTS
should find it challenging to get the requisite attention that is needed
to continue their climb. They are prepared and willing as say as much on
their latest effort, "THE SACRED TALISMAN."
The duel of metal guitars comes as close to overblown as any band
dare get without sacrificing the melody. Keyboards that are slight yet
vital to the overall mix and classic hard rock vocals round this band
and show that they are worthy of rolling along the same path as their
forefathers in IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and HELLOWEEN. Exciting and new
yet every note is familiar and comfortable.
Nils Norberg set his guitar down for about a half an hour recently
and filled us in on what the band expects to achieve and what the fans
can in their turn expect from NOCTURNAL RIGHTS in the coming century.
I suppose you're excited about your latest CD?
NILS NORBERG
Yes, I am.
It seems to me that I got your last record not very long ago.
NILS
Well, the previous album came out in Japan in November of '97 and in
Europe in March '98. We've had some time to write the songs. We just
went in when we were ready and did the album.
Was it a lot different for this record compared to the last
one?
NILS
As far as budgets go, yes it was different. We had time to do the things
we wanted to and make a better record.
How did the money allow you to do that?
NILS
When we recorded the "TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION" album
we weren't on Century Media yet, so we got sold to Century Media during
the time between the release in Japan and Europe. This is the first time
we've actually recorded an album for Century Media.
So are they hard taskmasters to work for?
NILS
No. They have been really good to us, they're really cool. We have the
greatest relationship with them.
You can generally tell when the publicists call which bands
they're just working because it's their job, and which bands they're
really into and they're trying to push. NOCTURNAL RITES is one of those
bands so, you can pat whoever's in the office on the back.
NILS
Matt from Century Media has been really good to us. He's the master of
finding interviews. I have to go till about 3 this morning!
You are doing them all over the world?
NILS
Well, today is America day, the album's been out in Europe since
February 1999 but the US release was May 1999 so it is the American area
now.
Have you been playing this record live over there yet?
NILS
Oh yeah, we've just done a tour with NEVERMORE.
Oh, that's right! How did that go?
NILS
It went great, we had so much fun. We toured last year with NEVERMORE
and OVERKILL, so we've known NEVERMORE since the last tour and we just
had a blast. It was awesome.
You are coming out of Scandinavia, which seems to be the home of
all progressive power metal these days, does it seem that way to you?
NILS
It's getting a lot better here in Sweden now, but Germany is still the
capital of Metal, I guess. Sweden is getting stronger every day, and
there is a lot of bands compared to before, like when we started out in
'95 we were the only band playing metal in Sweden. It's getting so much
better now.
Is there a difference? Being American and being so blind to the
rest of the world, like most Americans I think of Scandinavia, there's
Sweden, Finland, Norway, are all pretty much the same thing. What
differentiates the bands that come from, say, Finland?
NILS
I don't know. The only band I know from Finland is STRATOVARIOUS. I
don't think there is a big difference between the bands from Norway and
Sweden and Finland, songwise, I don't think so. I think there is a
special unique German Style. I think that's where the whole concept of
power metal was born and that's how every band tries to sound.
For me, this record, when you hold it up to the last record, it
seems to me to be more of an individual song type record, whereas the
last one gelled together as one magnum opus type of record. Is that how
you see it or have I taken it entirely differently to how you
intended it?
NILS
We try to write different and interesting songs, and we want each song
to be unlike the other songs on the album, to make it an interesting
album. We want to have all the tempos and all the paces, the ballad
songs the happy songs; I want the album to have it all. I think that's
the secret of how to make a great album.
Have you seen much of a progression between the first and third
albums and how much of that progression was been intended and how much
just kind of happened?
NILS
I guess none of it. You always try to take a step forward with each new
album, but you never try to change your own sound, or try to write your
songs differently. We just write songs from our hearts and whatever
comes out comes out. It's always been the same thing.
Whoever wrote the bio said that you guys tapped into whatever made
you get into Rock and Roll. What was that and what bands influenced you
in the beginning?
NILS
In the very beginning we started out as a death metal band in 1990, and
we played death metal for a few years. But we all grew up listening to
the great metal bands like HELLOWEEN and DIO and IRON MAIDEN and SAXON
and JUDAS PRIEST and all of those great bands, so I would guess that is
what the bio author means.
Well, the reason I ask is a lot of those bands are somewhat
predictable, people would say you can hear certain things in the music.
You know, JUDAS PRIEST, MAIDEN, DIO, stuff like that. Those bands are
still around in one form or another. How do you feel about the prospect
of being around in ten, fifteen or twenty years, or in Dio's case, forty
years?
NILS
It's so cool, It shows he's really still into it, he's not doing it for
the money, he's just so into the singing and playing metal. That's
exactly what I want to do, you know? You form a band and you're in a
band because it's fun and I'm going to keep doing this for as long as I
think it's rewarding for myself and as long as I think it's cool.
'Till somebody comes and drags you off the stage?
NILS
Exactly! Throws things at me or knocks me off the stage. It's bound to
happen at some point I guess!
You are probably going to play a bunch more festivals this summer
(1999), right?
NILS
We're going to do Dynamo and a festival in Sweden is booked. I hope we
can do some more. We're planning a Japanese tour sometime soon. We're
going to have lots of fun with this album.
The festivals in Europe, never having been there, I hear that
those things are completely nuts. What's the difference playing in front
of a sea of fans, then playing smaller, more intimate places?
NILS
We haven't actually done many really big festivals, but playing in front
of a large crowd is really different from playing small club gigs.
They're both really intense and really different. I like them both. The
intensity you get when you play a small club, you have people crawling
on the monitors, then you play big stages where people are dozens of
feet away. It's really cool.
Have you noticed a change in your fan base as time goes by? Do you
see the same faces out there when you go out and play?
NILS
There's a lot more younger fans now. A lot of younger people get into
this type of music now, I think that's really cool. It'll help this old
thing survive and last for a long time.
Well,
you've just had this album out, but I suspect you're looking forward to
the next record, always planning ahead. What's the next one going to be
like?
NILS
We have a couple of new songs and we're always writing new material but
it's going to be pretty much the same thing. We've never deliberately
changed our style or whatever, so it's going to be NOCTURNAL RITES once
again.
OK, well I know you've probably got to move on in a minute, but
before you go, let me ask you what would you like kids, or anybody, to
know about NOCTURNAL RITES that they probably don't know?
NILS
That's a tough one. We'd really like to come over and tour in the
States. I'd like people to know it's not up to the band, it's up to the
label and the promoter, the bottom line is record sales. We'd love to
tour the States. We're just waiting for the day when it happens.
If you come over, because you haven't toured here yet, you have
treated all of the American bands you've taken out on tour with you over
there nice, right? Meaning they're not going to get you back when you
come over here?
NILS
No! We had the greatest time with Nevermore, they're cool guys and I'd
love to tour the States with them. That'd be really cool!